MIT prof writes book on magnets you'll like reading

By Joel M. RosenbergStaff Reporter

Many children go through a phase, perhaps near the age of 12, when they
take things apart to see how they work. I reached this phase about 50 years
late," writes Materials Science and Engineering Senior Lecturer James
Livingston in his book "Driving Force: The Natural Magic of Magnets."

The book deals exclusively with magnets, describing past, present, and
future applications and history. Livingston's light and conversational
style makes the material easy to read, quite accessible, and rather
entertaining. His lifetime of experience with magnets, both at MIT and
while doing research and development with General Electric, which he refers
to often, comes through in his thorough treatment of the subject.

Livingston starts out by presenting a general working knowledge of
magnets, and then moves into individual uses chapter by chapter. The large
extent to which magnets are used becomes apparent quickly as the subject
changes from stereos and speakers to power plants and shoplifting equipment
to medical applications and beyond.

By framing magnetic developments in a historic context, Livingston
impresses audiences with much more than just natural magic. There's stuff
on quack doctors trying to heal people using "magnetic therapy." While the
idea has no scientific basis, it still helped lay the groundwork for what
was later to become the study of healing and the mind, since people did
seem to get better from the quack treatments. The battle of AC versus DC is
even more incredible: Harold Brown, a DC proponent, challenged George
Westinghouse, AC's hero, to a duel by electricity, gradually increasing
voltages of each person's favorite type of electricity until one either
surrendered, or died. The duel never happened, AC and Westinghouse won, and
today, both are extremely widespread.

Parts of the book satisfies the way-things-work spirit that engineers
tend to love. Other parts are just plain magnet trivia, such as what cow
magnets are (three-inch long cylinders that cows swallow and keep in their
stomachs to prevent steel objects they may gulp down my accident from
ripping up their intestines). The book definitely makes it clear that
magnets don't just hold tests and report cards to the refrigerator.

Livingston does have a tendency to emphasize MIT in his discussions,
which won't be a problem for people from MIT, but might exclude those
outside the MIT community to a small extent - an interesting point,
considering the spine of the book reads "Livingston/Driving Force/Harvard,"
because of the book's publisher.

While not as suspenseful as a Stephen King novel, the book is definitely
worth reading if the subject interests you. With several months before
textbooks come back into play, - or training manuals, for that matter, if
that's where life is taking you - Livingston's book will make for good
summer reading, as far as science books go. Besides, an autographed copy is
as close as Building 13.

After reading the book, it will become apparent that magnets are
everywhere. They're in the computer you type on. They're in the TV you
watch. And they're all over the car that you'll drive to the bookstore.
They're in the power plant that supplies the electricity for the lights and
registers at the bookstore. They're in and on the refrigerator at home that
keeps snacks cold for breaks from reading your book. They're in the stereo
that provides background music for your reading. And now they're in the
book itself.